An 8-Year-Old Was Taken Away From His Mom Because He Weighs Over 200 Pounds

Social workers say his mom didn’t do enough to control his weight — so they put him in foster care!

A Cleveland Heights, Ohio third grader was taken from his home after he weighed 218 pounds — that’s nearly four of his peers, according to The Daily Mail!
The Department of Children and Family Services said the mother wasn’t doing enough to control the weight of her son, so they put him in foster care. And they are even considering getting him a personal trainer!

To put it in perspective, the average weight for an 8-year-old, according to The Daily Mail, is 57 pounds!

“This child’s problem was so severe that we had to take custody,” Mary Louise Madigan, a spokeswoman for DCFS told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The mother, who was unidentified, told the paper she was working really hard to get him to shed weight: “Of course I love him. Of course I want him to lose weight. It’s a lifestyle change, and they are trying to make it seem like I am not embracing that. It is very hard, but I am trying.”

At what point does childhood obesity become child abuse or neglect? Do you think social workers were right to put him in foster care, or were they overreacting? Tell us your thoughts!